1. General Principles
Afyon Kocatepe University Journal of Academic Music Research adopts the international publishing principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI). Additionally, the journal operates in compliance with the ethical and publishing principles of the DergiPark system under the umbrella of TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM.
2. Human and Animal Rights
Ethical committee approval is mandatory for all research involving human subjects.
The ethical committee approval document must be uploaded to the DergiPark system when the article is submitted. Ethical approval, informed consent, and compliance with guidelines must be clearly stated in the Materials and Methods section. If data that could reveal the identity of the subjects is used, written informed consent must be obtained from the patients. For individuals under 18 years of age, parental or legal guardian consent is required.
***Failure to Obtain Informed Consent:
Including individuals in a study without adequately informing them about the study's purpose, methodology, procedures, and potential risks is contrary to ethical principles. Using or publishing data obtained without the explicit consent of participants is considered a violation of scientific ethics. If the research is conducted at an institution, obtaining the necessary permissions from that institution is also mandatory.
3. Plagiarism and Publication Ethics Violations
As of January 1, 2026, authors are required to upload plagiarism similarity reports generated by scanning all submitted manuscripts through programs such as iThenticate, Turnitin, or İntihal.net during the submission process. Manuscripts with a similarity rate of 20% or higher (excluding references) will be directly rejected without proceeding to the evaluation stage.
4. Declarations and Conflicts of Interest
All sources of financial support and potential conflicts of interest must be clearly stated. Authors should avoid sponsorship agreements that restrict their ability to access all study data or to analyze, interpret, and publish the article.
5. Language Use
The journal adopts an inclusive, non-discriminatory, and neutral use of language. Expressions involving discrimination based on gender, race, ethnic origin, age, disability, or belief must not be used.
6. Artificial Intelligence Usage Policy
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools cannot be listed as authors.
If authors have used AI tools (for text, image generation, or analysis), they must transparently declare this in both the Methods section and the cover letter.
7. Advertising Policy and Publisher
The Afyon Kocatepe University Journal of Academic Music Research is the official scientific publication of the Uşak Surgical Association; it is a periodical, peer-reviewed, open-access journal.
The journal operates independently of any commercial advertising or sponsorship. All editorial decisions are based on scientific merit and academic quality.
8. Appeals and Complaints Process
Appeals and complaints are evaluated by the Editorial Board. Appeals must primarily be based on the scientific content of the article or on concrete errors in the evaluation process.
The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision regarding appeals. In necessary cases (such as unresolved disputes), an independent ethics editor or a mediator may be appointed.
9. Handling Unethical Behavior
In cases of scientific misconduct, plagiarism, or abuse, the Publisher, in collaboration with the Editorial Board, publishes a notice of correction, clarification, or retraction. Such violations are not tolerated under any circumstances.
Submissions intended for publication in the Afyon Kocatepe University Academic Music Research Journal must not have been previously published elsewhere or simultaneously submitted to any other journal for publication. Received submissions undergo a preliminary evaluation by the Editorial Board. Submissions that do not align with the journal's publication aims and scope are rejected. Submissions deemed suitable for the journal's scope enter the double-blind peer-review process. The Editorial Board is authorized to suggest necessary corrections and modifications during the stages of preparing the submissions for publication in line with referee comments and suggestions, or to reject the submission at any stage. Submissions that pass the evaluation are published online with a DOI code, following author approval, to be included either in the upcoming issue (with page numbers added later) or in the subsequent issue if the publication quota is full. Authors whose articles are approved are requested to upload the final version to the journal system by adding their biographical and affiliation details (Title, Name-Surname, email, institution, ORCID number). As of January 1, 2026, all manuscripts must be scanned using iThenticate, Turnitin, or İntihal.net programs, and the similarity reports obtained must be uploaded to the system by the authors during submission. Manuscripts with a similarity rate of 20% or higher (excluding references) are directly rejected without proceeding to the evaluation stage.
*** No author addition or removal is permitted under any circumstances after the article peer-review process has commenced.
*** Each author may submit 1 article per year. If the article is accepted, article submissions will not be accepted for three subsequent issues following the published issue, and any submissions sent during this period will be directly rejected. The acceptance rate for articles from the institution that publishes the journal is 10% per issue..
Author Responsibilities
All responsibility arising from non-compliance with ethical rules rests with the author(s). Authors must guarantee the originality of the submissions they send. By uploading the article to our journal system, authors acknowledge that the text has not been previously published anywhere in any language or submitted for evaluation elsewhere, and they legally transfer the right of publication to our journal by signing the applicable copyright agreement. Copyrighted materials in the journal, such as tables, figures, or other contributing citations, are published only with valid permission and copyright clearance. The authors of the candidate article must be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the submitted work. When an author discovers a significant scientific error or inaccuracy in their published article, they have the obligation to contact the relevant Editor as soon as possible in order to retract the article or correct the error.
Reviewer Responsibilities
A reviewer may decline to evaluate a manuscript or article if they find it difficult to review, or if they do not have sufficient knowledge and time for this evaluation. This approach is vital for the proper functioning of the scientific process.
Qualified Evaluation: It is essential for maintaining the quality of scientific journals that a reviewer only evaluates studies that align with their area of expertise.
Fair Evaluation Process: A reviewer who cannot provide a timely and adequate critique cannot objectively assess the quality of the article, which may lead to the manuscript being incorrectly accepted.
Ethical Responsibility: The ethical responsibility of reviewers is based on critical thinking and making sound decisions. An inadequate review can harm the scientific community.
Reviewers must completely fill out the article evaluation form and prepare a justified report in the event of a rejection. Reviewers must not use the information obtained during the review process for their own advantage or that of any other person or institution, nor should they utilize it in a manner disadvantageous to others or to discredit others. It is extremely important that reviewers keep all information regarding the submitted manuscript confidential and notify the editor when they notice any copyright infringement or plagiarism by the author. These obligations play a critical role in terms of scientific ethics and journal publishing.
Here is the English translation of the text:
Confidentiality Obligation:
While working on the manuscripts sent to them, reviewers must not leak any information regarding the content of the manuscript. The article must be kept confidential until it is published. The breach of confidentiality—such as talking about the content of the article with others or sharing it in any other way—can harm the reliability of the journal process.
Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism:
If a reviewer notices a case of copyright infringement or plagiarism (quoting text from another source without permission) in the manuscript, they must report this to the journal editor. While copyright infringement refers to the use of a work without permission, plagiarism similarly involves using someone else's ideas or expressions without citing the source. Such situations can lead to serious ethical problems in the scientific world and damage the journal's prestige. Therefore, reviewers are required to report such violations immediately to the editor.
If a reviewer thinks that the content of a submitted manuscript is incompatible with their scientific field or expertise, or in cases where they cannot conduct a rapid evaluation, they must inform the relevant Editor and request to be excused from the evaluation process.
Editor Responsibilities:
In the Journal of Academic Music Research of Afyon Kocatepe University, manuscripts are evaluated solely on the basis of their scientific content, regardless of the authors' ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, or political views. The editor ensures that a fair peer-review process is conducted for the publication of submitted manuscripts. The obligation to keep all information regarding a submitted manuscript confidential until publication is one of the fundamental ethical rules of scholarly publishing. This obligation prevents reviewers from disclosing the manuscript's content to others, discussing it before publication, or sharing it with others. This confidentiality protects the originality of the manuscript and the author's intellectual property rights. In the Journal of Academic Music Research of Afyon Kocatepe University, the editor and editorial board are responsible for assigning reviewers and making the positive or negative decision regarding the publication of manuscripts. The editor must initiate the evaluation process for a received manuscript without delay. Evaluations are based on the opinions of at least two reviewers; in the event of one revision/acceptance and one rejection, a third reviewer's opinion is sought. Editors should prefer reviewers who have strong publications in their fields, are committed to ethical values, and will not disrupt the journal's publication processes. Unpublished information, evidence, or interpretations disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in the editors' own research without the author's consent. While the responsibility for published articles rests with the author, the copyright belongs to the journal. Such a condition is one of the fundamental rules of scholarly publishing and clearly defines the rights and responsibilities of both parties (author and journal). All manuscripts that do not comply with accepted ethical standards are withdrawn from publication. This includes any manuscripts where potential rule violations or improprieties are detected even after publication.